REVIEW: Alpert, Hall find perfect blend of styles

By Diana Nollen

RIVERSIDE - Herb Alpert and Lani Hall make beautiful music together.

The legendary trumpeter and his lovely wife of nearly 36 years, the one-time voice of Brasil 66, were perfectly in sync Friday night in a Hancher concert presented at the Riverside Casino Event Center.

An estimated audience of 700 to 750 people were treated to a casual chic evening of Great American Songbook standards wrapped around Latin beats from a top-notch trio of piano, bass and percussion. The amalgam was chemistry at its finest.

The fascinating twists were evident from the opening strains of George and Ira Gershwin's “Fascinating Rhythm.” Alpert joined Hall at the microphone to croon the lyrics over a steamy bossa nova beat, before breaking out the trumpet. The man has terrific chops, sounding as crystalline fine at 74 as in his Tijuana Brass days.

Alpert chatted easily and often with the audience as well as with his musicians and his wife, giving the evening a very intimate appeal.

He answered questions ranging from who painted the huge, vibrant abstract painting adorning the stage (he did) to whether he still has his first horn. “I do,” he replied. “It was built in 1950 and it's going to go to the Smithsonian.” After the cheers and applause died down, he added, “I just gave myself goosebumps.”

While you can't deny the stellar musicianship emanating from every corner of the stage, the best part of the concert was the sweet, loving feel between Alpert and Hall. Their affection and pride in each other was so refreshing, especially at a time when too many show biz pairings are little more than flash-in-the-pan fodder for headlines.

They danced with each other, shot little glances at each other and even smooched a little in passing. Their warmth radiated through their music.

Hall is an amazing song stylist, full of sizzle and quiet, breathy shimmers colored by bursts of dramatic vocal intensity. With her cascade of curls, expressive hands and emotional phrasing, she at times reminded me of my favorite song stylist, Barbra Streisand.

The 90-minute concert drew bravos, at least three standing ovations and two encores, so it's hard to narrow the field of highlights. Here are a few: “It's Only a Paper Moon,” which Alpert played on his custom-made double trumpet, featuring one open bell and one muted bell; The Beatles' “Blackbird,” starting with a New Age spin and wind chimes before Hall's energy burst the quiet bubble; the joy on Hall's face during the Brazilian numbers; Alpert's trumpet swing flourishes on “I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face”; Hall's sexy cabaret stylings on “Let's Face the Music and Dance”; funky percussion, dynamic piano and jazz syncopation on “Besame Mucho”; the hypnotic spell cast by slowing down “That Old Black Magic”; and the salsa beat adding spice to “I've Got You Under My Skin.”

No wonder they titled their new CD “Anything Goes.”